Lenovo Updates IdeaPad Notebooks and Netbooks

[Jerry Jackson]

Lenovo today announced the latest additions and updates to their IdeaPad line of multimedia notebooks and value-priced netbooks.

The IdeaPad Y650, Y550 and Y450

Lenovo’s latest IdeaPad Y Series laptops deliver powerful Hi-Definition entertainment in new sizes that are smaller, thinner and lighter than the previous generation to give more choices to consumers. The three Y Series laptops – the Y650, Y550, and Y450 – share the same modern soft black design featuring an interlocked hexagon pattern on the top cover along with a copper accent around the outer edge of the laptop.

First, Lenovo delivers its first 16-inch widescreen laptop, the IdeaPad Y650. The big news here is that Lenovo engineered this notebook to weigh even less than many 15-inch laptops, providing users with an additional inch of screen space without compromising on mobility. Making use of special materials like carbon fiber, as used in the aerospace and automotive industries, Lenovo has engineered the laptop down to a slender one-inch at its thinnest point with a weight of just 5.6 pounds.

The expanded Y Series gets three new 16:9 screen sizes: the 16-inch Y650, the 15.6-inch Y550, and the 14-inch Y450 laptops. The new Y Series laptops are configurable with up to 500GB of hard drive storage space and up to 4GB of DDR3 memory.

Designed with HD and Multimedia In Mind

The Y Series laptops are designed to take advantage of the latest high-definition video content and are equipped with 16:9 format glossy widescreen panels, optional NVIDIA GFX graphics for gaming and smooth HD video playback and Dolby Home Theater surround sound. The IdeaPad Y650 laptop also features JBL speakers for a excellent sound with rich highs, midtones and lows.

The Y Series includes the new Lenovo OneKey Theater software to simply the audio and visual experience. By pressing the "OneKey" button, OneKey Theater gives users an easy way to adjust the PC’s display and sound effect settings. Users can switch from normal mode to movie mode on the fly to optimize the picture when watching movies or playing games. The Y Series also includes Lenovo Desktop Navigator so users can toggle between shortcuts, files and other frequently used programs just by placing their finger along the touch-sensitive slide bar. For extra convenience, users can simply use the multi-touch touchpad below the keyboard and use their fingertips to enlarge or reduce image size.

Lenovo offers the Y Series with the latest Intel processors as well as DDR3 memory to help applications respond more quickly under multi-tasking conditions. Y Series laptops have several wireless connectivity options including WiFi and optional Bluetooth.

For added convenience, Lenovo’s latest VeriFace facial recognition technology combines Windows log-in and file encryption for logging onto the PC and for password-protecting individual files. The new Y Series also features Lenovo’s OneKey Rescue System to help users to recover their data and restore critical system files after system failures, viruses and other mishaps.

IdeaPad S10 Netbook Gets Updated

Lenovo’s IdeaPad S10 netbook – a solid netbook that we previously reviewed – is an excellent mobile companion for staying connected online or finishing some homework on the bus. Lenovo is updating the popular IdeaPad S10 netbook with new multimedia and networking tools for social networking enthusiasts ranging from newbies to experienced socialites.

While many of our forum members are familiar with the world of social networking, some mainstream consumers are only taking the first steps. Through a new Lenovo tool called LenovoSocial, that comes preloaded on the netbook, users can "easily connect to a resource portal that will help them navigate the vast options for participating in social networking." Whatever that means.

Other new features on the IdeaPad S10 netbook include Lenovo Quick Start. With this functionality, users will have the ability to access a number of frequently used applications including a web browser, music player, photo viewer, instant messaging tools and Skype. New to the netbook is Lenovo’s VeriFace facial recognition technology, a convenient tool for easy log-in. Similar to the IdeaPad Y Series laptops, the netbook features multi-touch functionality on the trackpad and Lenovo’s OneKey Rescue System.

The new IdeaPad S10 netbook features a 10.2-inch LED backlight display, 0.9 inch thick frame and 2.4 pound weight. Color choices include black, white, red, blue, or pink.

Pricing and Availability

The new IdeaPad Y650, Y550, Y450 laptops and S10 netbook will be available beginning in March. Manufacturer suggested retail pricing (MSRP) for models starts at $1,199 for the IdeaPad Y650, $829 for the IdeaPad Y550 and Y450, and $349 for the IdeaPad S10 netbook.

[TailGunner]

Those new Lenovos are pretty sleek. The Y series almost look like the new MBP, which I think is much more attractive than the old blocky design.

Is it just me or does the keyboard look like it sits too close to the screen?

[circa86]

the design looks fantastic, really touching a cord with my white, gray, and orange fetish. I would buy that just because I like how it looks, now if it only came with its own fancy OS.

[PottyDoctor]

I was a little disappointed that the S10 didn't get the much needed 6-cell battery upgrade. If it did, the article didn't mention it. Any word on that?

[Phinagle]

Pretty sexy.

Was expecting a refresh on the Ideapads at CES but I figured they'd just upgrade to the ATI Mobility Radeon 4000 series. I'm not surprised they dropped the Y750 to a Y650 since it just seemed to me like something they should do. (I was fantasizing about a 16" Ideapad with a 4850x2 card. ;] )

Ive always liked the potential that Ideapads had as an entertainment/gaming notebook but felt that Lenovo just never seemed to be serious about competing in that notebook segment.

But those refreshes definitely looks like they're getting serious about competing with Sony, and Apple.

[JaneL]

I was a little disappointed that the S10 didn't get the much needed 6-cell battery upgrade. If it did, the article didn't mention it. Any word on that?

Mark's message about spare 6-cell S10 batteries

[b-dizzle]

Hopefully those "optional NVIDIA gfx" are 9600gt or better... if so, I might just have to grab one of these. A 5.6 pound 16-incher? Sounds good to me!

And it does look like the keyboard sits very close to the screen... hopefully that won't be a problem...